“We’ll see.”
Did he think walking away from her was easy? She was beautiful. Sexy. Magnetic. And the pull she had on him was strong.
But he could resist. He knew mixing it up with her would be disastrous, and would hurt not only her in the long run, but also his best friend.
He was doing the right thing by keeping his distance. And he was a strong man. He could resist temptation. Even if that temptation was as hot as Harmony.
The room was crowded when they walked through the doors. “We could sit at the bar,” Barrett suggested.
Maybe they could find Ted and strike up a conversation. Keep things light and easy that way.
“No, there’s a table over there in the corner,” Harmony said.
Great. Nice and remote. Intimate. Just what he didn’t want, but he followed her to the table and held out her chair for her to sit.
“Thanks.”
“What would you like to drink?”
“Vodka and cranberry juice.”
“I’ll go get us drinks.”
He wandered up to the bar and ordered Harmony’s drink and a beer for himself. He ran into Ted.
“Hey, how was dinner?”
“Fantastic. Really appreciate the recommendation.”
“You’re welcome. Where are you two sitting?”
Barrett pointed out their seats.
“I’ll have drinks brought over.”
“Thanks.” He took his money out to pay, but Ted waved him off. “Tab’s on me.”
“Not necessary.”
“Hey, it’s my pleasure. I like you two.”
“Well, thanks again.”
He headed back to the table. Harmony pulled her attention from the window and onto him, giving him a quizzical look as he took his seat.
“Ran into Ted. He’s having the drinks sent over. And he’s comping them.”
She smiled. “Isn’t he a nice guy?”
“Yeah.”
“I’d love to meet his girlfriend. I’ll bet they’re perfect together.”
“Really. What makes you think that?”
She shrugged. “The way he described her—their relationship. He’s almost giddy about reconnecting with her, as if he almost can’t believe it happened. He told me he feels really lucky that she was available at the exact moment in time that he came back home.”
“That was a nice thing to say.”
“Yes, it was.”
A waitress brought over their drinks and set them down.
“My name is Donna. Ted said to just flag me down whenever you want a refill. Drinks are on him the rest of the night.”
“Thanks, Donna,” Harmony said. “There will definitely be flagging.”
Donna laughed. “I’ll be looking for you.”
After Donna ran off, Barrett cocked a brow. “Planning on doing some drinking?”
She shrugged. “My first appointment isn’t until noon tomorrow. I might indulge.” She took a sip from the straw. “Besides, cranberry juice is very good for you.”
He shook his head, then tilted the bottle of beer to his lips. She might be trying to play coy with him, but he could see right through her. Her intent was to get him shit-faced drunk, then take advantage of him in their room tonight.
Though the thought of it made him push back a laugh.
She was tiny. He was a big guy. It would take a lot of beers to get him shit-faced, and he had no intention of drinking that much—or letting her take advantage.
And talk about role reversal. Why was he even thinking about his “virtue” anyway? It wasn’t gonna happen.
Not that he had any virtue to protect.
When he focused his attention back on Harmony, she was weaving back and forth as if she was trying to look behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“Looking for the smoke that must be coming out of your ears. I’ve been talking to you for like the past three minutes and your head is somewhere else. What have you been thinking so hard about?”
How not to have sex with you tonight.
“Nothing. Football. The house. The trip to San Francisco. You know how it is when your mind wanders all over different topics, right?”
“I . . . guess.”
He could tell she didn’t believe him.
“Sorry to be so distracted. What were you talking about?”
“I was asking you about your brothers and if any of them will be coming to the ranch when you’ll be there.”
“They should all be there. Tucker will be on break from baseball, and Flynn and Grant are just like me, on vacation. Plus two of my brothers are planning weddings right now, so I’m sure that’ll be a hot topic of discussion.”
“A lot going on in your family, isn’t there?”
“Yeah. The family focus right now is on Grant and Katrina’s and Tucker and Aubry’s weddings.”
“When are they getting married?”
“Grant and Katrina next March. Tucker and Aubry in November.”
“That’s so exciting for them. You must be so happy for your brothers.”
“Katrina’s pretty great. So are her brother and sister. Grant’s built himself an awesome family. We all love them. Tucker was damn lucky to find an awesome woman in Aubry. She’s fantastic.”
“I’ve met all your brothers before, but the women sound lovely.”
“Yeah, they are.”
She’d finished her drink and set it aside. Miraculously, Donna appeared, whisked the empty glass away and returned within a minute with another drink for Harmony and a beer for Barrett.